musings on my world

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summer on the water

I love being beside moving water, especially in the summertime. The purposeful motion of a swiftly moving current rippling the surface of a wide river, the spectacular crashes of ocean waves against a cliff face, even the meandering trickle of a creek all both mesmerize and calm me.

I don’t live by the water so I don’t know of perpetual damp or terrifying storms. Each time I visit someone who does, or when I see houseboats, docks, cottages and waterfront homes, I imagine myself there on the shore observing and writing, or maybe there, in the window, listening to the waves and writing.

When I used to swim (before I got ear infections from open lakes, or suffered allergies from chlorinated public pools), I could float and dive and play in water for very long periods of time. And I found, when I finally emerged, that I felt quieted and a little detached from my formerly overwhelming preoccupations. Even people seemed a little further away, as my body and mind relived the delicious weightlessness and delightful grace of movement underwater.

Having been brought up in land-based surroundings, though, I think I would find the restless, constant motion of the water disturbing. Ultimately, when I want true relaxation, I’m drawn to the quiet magnificence of a deep green forest, where movement is sporadic and the silence nourishing. A leaf moving in a gentle breeze, a bird suddenly calling and then silent, the sun warm and constant – that’s where I truly relax and think my thoughts.

Even so, I still find myself wondering how I can build more enjoyable water experiences into my life.